America Rising Expands Staff | Shop Talk

America Rising, a GOP opposition research firm, unveiled a host of new hires Monday as it expands for the 2014 and 2016 cycles.

The new staffers are:

Vice President for State and Local Research Initiatives Amanda Iovino

Vice President for House Research Alexandra Angel

Vice President for Video and Tracking Operations Aaron Baer

Vice President for Special Research Projects Tim Killeen

Senior Research Analyst, House, Dan Knight

“The America Rising LLC leadership team brings years of diverse research experience to the field in 2014,” the group’s president, Joe Pounder, stated. “Because of their work already, America Rising’s operations extend from D.C. to Anchorage as we track more than 50 campaigns to date.”

Establishment Strikes Back in Iowa

The Iowa Republican Party elected a new central committee over the weekend, ushering in a new group of members with broader ideological backgrounds and sweeping out libertarian members who ran the committee since 2012.

The 16-member central committee serves as the governing body of the state party, and its decisions have broad implications for the party’s direction.

Some Iowa Republicans complained that the old libertarian group did not listen to the concerns of the grass-roots activists as a whole, and mismanaged the party’s finances. GOP operatives in Iowa said frustration with that group of leaders led to the April 26 central committee changes.

“They will restore credibility to the Republican Party of Iowa,” Tim Albrecht, a Republican operative in Iowa, said of the new makeup of the committee. “They will work for all potential candidates, they will work with all county and local activists and they are going to offer a robust party organization that is capable of administering the caucuses in 2016.

“The same could not be said for the leadership that’s been in place for the past two years,” he added.

Former GOP chairman A.J. Spiker recently left his post to work for the leadership PAC of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Spiker has vigorously defended his tenure.

Dallas Woodhouse, the former North Carolina State Director of Americans for Prosperity, left AFP to launch a new issue advocacy group called Carolina Rising.

Woodhouse said the 501(c)(4) group, which launched last week, will focus on issues such as free-market principles and education reform in North Carolina.

“We must do a better job of scrutinizing the policies from proponents of big government and remind citizens that these plans will return us to an era of crushing taxes, over-regulation and corruption,” Woodhouse said of his organization in a statement.

Romanoff, a former Colorado House Speaker, is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in the 6th District, one of the most competitive House races on the 2014 map.

A campaign release stated that Collins agreed early on in the campaign to steer Romanoff to the nomination and then transition to a successor for the general-election campaign. McCann is an ex-staffer to former Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Md.

“I’m deeply grateful for Anne’s leadership, her friendship and her guidance,” Romanoff said. “Anne and Tim share my commitment to growing the economy and strengthening the middle class, and I look forward to working closely with both of them in the months ahead.”

Mich. Republican Announces Team

Former Michigan GOP Finance Chairman Paul Mitchell announced last week his campaign team for the 4th District open-seat race to replace retiring Republican Rep. Dave Camp. His team includes:

Campaign manager Jeff Timmer, a former executive director at the Michigan Republican Party

General consultant Stu Sandler, who is also working on the Michigan congressional campaigns of attorney David Trott (11th District) and ex-state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (8th District)

Legal counsel Charles Spies

Pollster Michael Meyers of TargetPoint

Media: Strategy Group for Media

Direct mail: Jason McBride of Majority Strategies

Communications Director George Blichar, a veteran of several campaigns

Political director: Samantha Artley

Field director: Amy Carl

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